


Protect

by Datawolf39



Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: Bullies, Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 12:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30089091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Datawolf39/pseuds/Datawolf39
Summary: Another bully shows up, and Catherine is not happy about it.
Relationships: Richard Poole & Catherine Bordey
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	Protect

**Author's Note:**

> this has been on my docs forever, and I want to share it.

Catherine looked over as Richard and another man, who was just as pale as he, despite the ever present sun on the island, entered her bar. The man seemed to be a few years older than Richard and perhaps respect was a factor in the way he let the man choose where they sat.

It was quite unusual for him to be here during his on-duty time though, since outside of the instances where he was coming to reveal the latest murderer in his dramatic fashion or having a quick lunch with the rest of the team, he tended to stay in the office. At those times though, his arms were loaded down with work folders and files, he had nothing with him today, and that was concerning.

After a few minutes of serving the other customers, she returned to the bar and gazed over in Richard's direction. The Police Chief was subdued and meek. She frowned. While it was not unusual for him to be subdued, meek was not an adjective that fit him much of the time. That was simply not the way that he usually responded to people. He was sarcastic and argumentative so much of the time that it seemed to be his default setting.

All this, she was willing to concede, did not have to mean trouble. What convinced her it was time to act was when she noticed shifts in his posture that signal an intense desire to remove himself from his current conversation. Putting down her serving tray, she walked over to where the two men sat.

“Excuse me,” she said as she stopped at the table. The words themselves were polite, but her stormy expression would make the bravest man cower. She didn't know who was more surprised Richard, since she could feel his eyes on her, or the other man, since she could see his stunned expression he wore.

“Catherine-” Richard started only to be interrupted by the other man.

“Me and Richie here were just having a chat, so if you would be so kind as to move along,” he said with a dismissive gesture.

“I will not _be so kind,”_ she growled.

“Catherine-” Richard tried again, only to be shushed.

“Wow Richie,” the man said with a smug sneer. “You're so scared to fight your own battles you'll let this woman do it for you? How sad.”

That did it. “Detective Inspector _Richard_ Poole _,_ can very well fight his own battles. _I_ just don't take kindly to someone insulting _my_ _family_ in _my bar_.” she growled.

Spying one of her stronger regulars, she called out to him. “Would you be a dear and take our _guest_ out of the bar?”

“Not a problem,” he said, grabbing hold of the bully, and escorting him to the exit despite the man’s sputtering protests.

“Good riddance,” Catherine said as she watched him throw the man out.

She turned to Richard, took one look at his expression, and pulled him to a secluded area in the bar. “Are you alright?”

“I- fine, I'm fine.”

“Richard Poole don't you lie to me.”

He sheepishly looked down at his shoes before he spoke. “He was someone who... well he wasn't too friendly to me in the past. He used to blame me for a lot of things that went wrong in his life, and time hasn't changed that in the least. It seems my walls weren't quite thick enough to leave me unaffected by his words though,” he said with a look that was almost guilty.

Catherine frowned. How many bullies had this man had? At the rate they were showing up on Sainte Marie, it seemed like all of England had had a hand in making Richard's life miserable. Then another question occurred to her. Why should he feel guilty for being affected by a bully that had appeared so suddenly? 

A sudden blush on his features snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Also, I would like to thank you for saying what you did,” he said softly.

It did not escape her that he said that as though he didn't think that she had been honest. Somehow he was under the impression that she had said it to get rid of the man which was not the reason she had said it, and she refused to let him think it was. 

“I meant it. No family of mine gets bullied in my bar.” She reiterated, her anger flaring up at the memory of what had just happened.

“You... you really consider me family?” he inquired shyly.

Catherine smiled. “Well my daughter seems pretty attached to you, and you're close to Dwayne, Fidel, and I consider them family. I know we don't always see eye to eye, but I like that you are here. So is it not only natural to consider you as family?”

It was then that Catherine saw something that she never thought she would see: Richard was crying. It was obvious he was trying not to, but he was unable to stop himself. Seeing this, she did what her mothering instinct demanded of her, she hugged him. When he froze in her arms, she feared that she had gone too far, the man wasn’t exactly fond of physical contact, but just as she was about to break the hold, to be certain that she hadn't broken him, he wrapped his arms around her, and relaxed into the embrace.

When he pulled away, he looked conflicted as though he were quickly debating the merits of something, but before she could ask, he took a breath and spoke. “Thank you, _Maman.”_

Catherine half expected him to make a run for it after saying that, especially given the fuss he made about anything French, but he simply stood there, red-faced with embarrassment, waiting. It took only seconds to see that he feared rejection from her. Once again, she wondered about his upbringing and the people around him in those years. She reluctantly shelved the thoughts for another day.

“You are most welcome, Richard” she said, punctuating the statement with a kiss on his cheek. At that point he did make his excuse and run, but not before she caught sight of the smile on his face.

~

That night the team retired to La Kaz after work. As they sat, Camille, Dwayne, and Fidel noted how subdued Richard seemed. They were about to inquire when Catherine came over to the table and Richard took one look at her blushed, and then looked away.

“ _Maman,_ what have you done? _”_ Camille accused, noting her boss's reaction to seeing her mother.

Catherine simply laughed. A bashful Richard Poole was quite a sight. Several moments later, a slow song started, and to the table's, nay most of the bar's, surprise, for Richard had become well-known for being a stick in the mud, Catherine offered her hand to him. “Dance with me?” The team, and the other patrons, almost passed out when Richard _smiled_ , and proceeded to take her hand, and guide the both of them to the dance floor.

“Camille is never going to stop trying to get you to dance with her now,” Catherine said as they swayed to the music.

Richard's eyes seemed to sparkle when he said, “I know.”

Catherine had to laugh. Somehow, genuine reluctance, had turned into a game of hard to get, where Camille was the pursuer.

Seeing that she had caught on, Richard allowed himself a smile. “She likes things that challenge her, so who am I to deny her desire?”

Catherine smiled. She was looking forward to seeing how things would progress, but for now, she enjoyed a dance with a precious member of her family.

**Author's Note:**

> As you can see, I'm a sucker for parental Catherine.


End file.
